Food Project set to premiere on big screen

STARS: Central Otago women, from left, Anna Robinson, Angela McKeen, Maria Shea are starring in a documentary called The Food Project, which premieres in Alexandra this week. (Chelsea Donnelly and Ruth Henderson not pictured)

Relevant offers

Five Central Otago women's passion for growing their own food has taken them to the big screen.

Clyde film-maker Heather Smith has been tailing the women with a camera for the past eight months for a documentary called The Food Project, which premieres in Alexandra tomorrow.

Smith said the film was about understanding where food came from and increasing "food resilience" by removing oneself from the global food system.

"By doing that, we have constant access to basic food. The easiest and best way of dong that, firstly, is by growing your own food."

The women, all with young families, were brought together regularly, and they swapped food and supported one another, she said.

"They had been doing it on their own and just didn't realise how they could split into a small group of people who could support each other. I am hoping The Food Project is something that will continue on beyond the film."

She also had interviewed producers to give people a behind-the-scenes look at how food is produced locally, and they also talked to food resilience academics.

Anna Robinson, who features in the film, said participating in the film had felt like a "natural progression" and the women had since formed a sub-group called the Gorilla Gardeners.

"Life has been pretty much the same for me - getting into the garden as much as possible and making sure I have a constant supply of fresh veges and having surplus for friends, family and trading ...

"The group tries to get together and share gardening knowledge and extra produce and we have all become really good friends. Everyone is on the same page - we want to produce healthy vegetables - but we all do it in different ways."

Robinson said part of the beauty of growing her own food was educating her two young children about where food came from and how it was produced.

"Also, I enjoy it. It feels really good and right for me to be growing food. Fresh is best, right." The film will also be screening on Saturday.